The Princess In A ‘Prince’ Disguise (Beasts of Wrath and Madness #1)

36. PUNISHING EMERIEL

Chapter thirty-six

PUNISHING EMERIEL

Aekeira arrived at the fourth wing, slightly out of breath. She cautiously looked around, ensuring no soldiers were in sight. Sneaking a book out of the library had taken longer than expected. As she turned a corner, her feet abruptly halted.

Two soldiers held Em, leading him away under the guidance of a mysterious mistress. Who was this woman? What did she want with her sister?

Aekeira's instinct compelled her to move forward, but she forced herself to stop. How could she help Em? What if her interference only caused more trouble? She was a slave, and the woman was a mistress. There was no way for her to save her sister.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she blinked forcefully to keep them at bay. She needed to think. To come up with a plan. Dammit, she needed to save her sister.

Suddenly, an idea struck her.

Aekeira broke into a run, making her way to Blackstone. At first, it was easy, none of the soldiers stopped her. They must have thought she was one of the workers.

However, when she reached the main area of Blackstone, where Grand Lord Vladya resided, the soldiers blocked her path.

"Please, I must go in. I need to see Lord Vladya," Aekeira pleaded, panting and out of breath.

"You are not permitted in this area, Slave," one of the soldiers sneered. "Leave immediately."

"No, you don't understand. I need to see Lord Vladya. He... umm," she thought quickly, "He is expecting me."

The soldiers gave her a disgusted look. One of them advanced towards her, getting in her face. "How dare you lie to us? Leave before I teach you a lesson," he threatened, shoving her forcefully.

His strength was immense, and Aekeira was thrown backward, crashing onto the floor with a cry of pain. Her buttocks stung from the impact.

Gingerly, she forced herself to her feet and tried again, "No, you don't understand..."

The soldier drew his sword. "If you dare come here again, I swear I will—"

"What is the meaning of this?"

A familiar, deep voice resonated from behind Aekeira. She spun around, a sob of relief escaping her as she laid eyes on Grand Lord Vladya.

"Secure the bindings," Mistress Sinai commanded one of her soldiers.

Emeriel was suspended, his arms spread wide and tightly bound. The ropes dug into his skin as the soldiers ensured they were secure.

His gaze shifted to a large basin of boiling water in the corner of the small underground basement. Steam rose aggressively from it, showing its scorching temperature.

Whips made of cowhide and leather, as well as spiked ones, were scattered about. There was a crown filled with thorns, a branding iron, and many other tools Emeriel had never seen before.

Emeriel swallowed nervously. Fear of the impending pain settled deep in his gut, though he refused to show it. A branding iron?

His eyes followed the movements of a maid, who appeared to be preparing a fire pit. Did Mistress Sinai intend to brand him? Force him to wear that crown with its piercing thorns digging into his skull?

"So, you must be enjoying these little niceties, aren't you?" Mistress Sinai smirked, moving closer to Emeriel. "By the time I'm finished with you, you'll beg for death. I will make sure your blood stains every corner of the forbidden chambers, so everyone will think that my Daemon devoured you for breakfast."

Emeriel couldn't believe the extent to which this mistress would go to inflict pain upon him. "Why are you doing this? What have I ever done to you?"

"I have countless reasons, really. But mainly? it's because you are a nuisance. You got yourself noticed by the beast. You should have stayed away from him."

Emeriel couldn't believe this female. "I never sought his attention. You think I wanted this? I was on my own when he came for me. He pursued me. He captured me. He claimed me!"

"That's a lie!" she hissed, drawing closer to Emeriel. Rage burned in her eyes, her fists clenched. "You may have fooled everyone else, but not me. You did something to him. Whatever it was, you better undo it, or I will kill you myself." She paused, a chilling smile forming. "Actually, it doesn't matter if you undo it. Because when I kill you, whatever spell you cast will be neutralized."

Angry tears flooded Emeriel's eyes as he regarded Mistress Sinai. This Urekai female was insane. What kind of crazy woman was King Daemonikai’s bloodhost?

"What? Not going to say anything?" Mistress Sinai crossed her arms, a taunting smirk playing on her lips. "Beg for your life."

Emeriel sniffled, resignation sinking in. "Would it make any difference?"

"Oh... but you wouldn't know unless you tried, would you?” She gave another one of those annoying smirks. "Come on, beg for it."

Emeriel did not. Begging wouldn't change anything, and he wouldn't indulge this demented woman's dark fantasies.

"Alright then." Mistress Sinai turned her head. "Nora, prepare the spiked whips and fire them up. Let us begin."

Aekeira hurriedly approached Lord Vladya, desperation clear in her voice. "Your Highness, I needed to see you, please..."

"You cannot be here, Aekeira. Not without summon.” He began walking ahead toward his chambers. “Leave before I have you punished."

"Please, help me! Please," she pleaded, her voice trembling.

He whirled around, irritation etched on his face. "Why is it that every time I see you, you're always in a situation that requires help? And worst of all, for some reason, you assume that I would want to help you?"

If Aekeira had her way, she would never be in the same space as Lord Vladya. She would avoid him like the plague.

But she also knew that if anyone had the power to help her situation, it would be him.

"My brother... the mistress took him," Aekeira forced out, sniffling as she wiped her eyes clean.

"No. The beast took your brother, and he is not dead, as far as I know," he retorted as he turned away dismissively.

"No, no, no. Please, hear me out." Aekeira reached out and grabbed his garment.

He stopped abruptly, glaring at her hand.

She released her grip and stepped back. "Please, hear me out, Your Highness."

He studied her for a moment, his face inscrutable. He didn't command her to speak, and his expression suggested that she was one mistake away from being thrown out.

Therefore, Aekeira hesitated, awaiting his permission.

With each passing second, her hope waned. Perhaps he wouldn't help her after all. With Grand Lord Ottai away from the fortress, maybe her chances were better with Lord Zaiper.

Aekeira shuddered at the thought. Despite everything Lord Vladya had done to her, she would still choose him over Lord Zaiper. Without hesitation.

"Fine. Go ahead," he snapped, looking like the words tasted like ash in his mouth.

"A mistress took him. She looked familiar, but I don't really know who she is, only that she seemed like a lady. I saw her and the guards dragging Emeriel away."

Grand Lord Vladya's brows furrowed. He released the doorknob completely, giving her his full attention. "A mistress, you say. Long, brown hair?"

"Yes, my Lord!" How did he know that?

Grand Lord Vladya stepped away from the door entirely. "Yaz, follow me," he commanded his head soldier behind him. He then turned to Aekeira. "Come and show me where you saw them."

A wave of relief washed over her, and Aekeira hastily moved to keep up with Grand Lord Vladya's determined pace. She had expected more resistance...thank the gods!

She led him along the same route she had taken, back to the fourth wing, and then through the corner where she had spotted the mistress. Walking so closely to him, a prickle of awareness feathered through her skin. What was it about this hard, formidable male that made her go weak in the knees?

Fortunately, her deep worry for her little sister killed any potential arousal.

"Here, my Lord. I saw them around here." Aekeira came to a stop at the spot where she had witnessed Emeriel being dragged away.

"I will go ahead and search for them. They shouldn't be far," Yaz offered.

"No, that would take too much time, time we don't have," Lord Vladya countered. He turned to Aekeira. "Do you have anything that Emeriel has touched in the past twenty hours?"

Aekeira quickly reached into her garment and retrieved the book that Emeriel had read yesterday, but Aekeira had forgotten to return to the library. "Here." she handed it to him.

Lord Vladya accepted it, brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply. "His scent is there, but it's faint. it will take more time to track him since his scent is barely detectable."

"What about my hand?" Aekeira asked, desperate. "Em loves touching my hand. He does it all the time. That means his scent would be much stronger, right?"

Lord Vladya stared at her outstretched hand. He didn't make a move to take it. "I don't need to scent you right now, Aekeira."

Goosebumps spread through her body as her name rolled off his tongue. She would never admit it, but her name had never sounded better.

That mistress might already be torturing Em. The thought jolted her, bringing her wandering mind back.

"Please, just do it. I beg of you," she implored.

Finally, he stepped forward and enveloped her small hand in his larger ones, raising it to his nose and taking a deep breath.

Aekeira was taken aback as a low growl rumbled from his chest. For a moment, his eyes flickered with a yellow hue. He inhaled once more before releasing her hand.

"Let's go," he ordered, and strode forward.

Aekeira trailed behind him, praying all the while that Em was unharmed.

Grand Lord Vladya descended the stairs, leading Aekeira through the labyrinthine underground chambers. The multitude of rooms and winding corridors would have surely left her disoriented if she had ventured alone. However, Vladya strode confidently, navigating the intricate path without hesitation.

As they drew nearer, Aekeira heard a voice—a woman's voice.

"I shall subject you to thirty lashes from the spiked whip. Whether you count or not matters not to me," the mistress declared, growing louder as they approached.

Grand Lord Vladya swept into the chamber, his black robes swirling, his presence commanding. "You shall do no such thing, Sinai," he proclaimed, his voice echoing with cold authority.

The mistress's head jerked around and went as still as a statue. She released the whip as though it burned her hand, and it clattered to the ground.

"M-my Lord, what brings you here?" she stammered, breathlessly.

"I could ask you the same thing, Sinai," Vladya’s tone was deceptively calm. His gaze swept across the room, taking in the array of torture tools and the figure of Emeriel, who was suspended like a sacrificial offering. Then, his eyes returned to the mistress.

The mistress averted her gaze.

He took a step forward, and she quickly retreated a step. "I told you to leave the boy alone. How dare you disobey my command?"

Leave the boy alone? Aekeira was confused. She observed as the imposing Urekai guard he’d called Yaz went to Emeriel and began untying the restraints that bound him.

Aekeira hastened forward to assist. "Em, are you hurt?" Her lips trembled with concern.

The profound relief that washed over Emeriel's face nearly moved Aekeira to tears. She had truly lost all hope of being rescued, hadn’t she? "I'm so sorry, Em."

"Please, do not apologize, Keira." Emeriel mustered a faint smile. "Thank you, sister. For a moment there, I feared she would scourge my back and sear my skin with her branding iron."

Both directed their gaze toward the mistress.

Emeriel never imagined anything could instill fear in the Urekai female, but her cowering in the presence of Grand Lord Vladya proved him wrong. Emeriel couldn't help but feel a small sense of satisfaction at the sight.

"What do you think you were doing? Did you really believe I wouldn't find out that you went against my orders and killed the boy?" Lord Vladya snapped.

Emeriel couldn't tell what was worse. His controlled fury, or an outburst? The quiet anger he exuded was truly terrifying.

"Why do you intervene on his behalf? He is but a filthy human! He angered me, and I desired to punish him! What is wrong with that?" Mistress Sinai screamed in anger, her cheeks flushed. "Their lives are worthless! You know it, and I know it."

"I care not for your opinion, nor do I concern myself with your reasons. You have disobeyed a direct order, Sinai, and for that, I must punish you," Vladya declared, his gaze piercing hers. "You shall be confined to your chambers for a week. You are forbidden from venturing outside for any reason whatsoever. Your meals shall be delivered to you, and should you require anything urgent from beyond your chambers, your maidservants shall attend to it. Under no circumstances should you set foot outside your bedroom, for if you do, I shall personally throw you into the Hole."

Emeriel winced. She'd heard Urekai mention the Hole a time or two—a place of punishment, a nightmare made real. A dark, enclosed, small space where time itself became the torturer, the endless dark a suffocating weight. Their beasts, unable to bear the disorientation, would lash out in a frenzy, bringing unbearable pain to their Urekai form.

Mistress Sinai paled. "You would subject me to chamber arrest for the sake of a filthy human? You w-would throw me in-into the Hole?" She appeared utterly betrayed. Devastated.

Closing the remaining distance between them, Vladya grasped Mistress Sinai's jaw. "Consider yourself fortunate that the torture you planned had not yet begun, Sinai. Otherwise, I would have thrown you straight into the Hole.” He tilted her face upward, forcing her eyes to meet his. "This has nothing to do with the humans and everything to do with your disobedience. Next time you go against my command, I will punish you severely.” He sneered, “Guards."

Two soldiers stepped forward from where the mistress had stationed them. "Yes, Your Majesty," they chorused, their voices rough and obedient.

"Escort the mistress back to her quarters," he ordered, his tone as sharp and unforgiving as a honed blade. They moved with mechanical efficiency, their hands gripping Mistress Sinai's arms despite her struggles.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, leaving glistening tracks on her pale skin. Her sobs echoed in the stone chamber as they led her away.

Turning abruptly, Lord Vladya directed his gaze toward Emeriel and Aekeira, his eyes like chips of ice.

They quickly lowered their heads, hearts pounding against their ribs. Emeriel was stunned by the manner in which Lord Vladya had dealt with the mistress. It was entirely unexpected. Judging by the subtle stiffening of Aekeira's shoulders, she too was taken aback.

"Tell Livia to have the boy bathed and freshened up. Emeriel and I need to have a discussion," Lord Vladya instructed Yaz, "I want him brought to my chambers as soon as possible."

Then, Lord Vladya turned on his heel, his gaze already fixed on the door. With determined steps, his cloak swirling in his wake, he exited the chamber without a backward glance.